Sliding post caliper



May 13, 1952 SEME 2,596,731

SLIDING POST CALIPER Filed Aug. 4, 1951 IMIIIII; 2 [I3 6c 68 I 5 5 \6 I I Fla 7 OR- ATTORNEY Patented May 13, 1952 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE SLIDING POST CALIBER John J. .Seme, Cleveland, Ohio Application August 4, 1951, Serial No. 240,335

Figure 4 .is a :view in section taken along line 4-4 of Figure .1 showing the cam sshaft, :out :of

engagement with the movable postcarryingslide,

struction and easy to manipulate :for making measurements, particularly the inside, or outside diameters and thicknesses of various objects. Another object is to provide :such a gauge in which one post is stationary and the other :slidable and in which a wide range of measurement is possible without increasing the overall length of the gauge.

Another object is to provide such a gauge in which the slidable post may be locked in any adjusted position by the simple manual operation of a cam shaft.

Another object is to provide a channel guide means cooperating withlthe slide member that supports the movable post to prevent movement of the movable post in any but the true longitudinal plane of the channel guide.

A further object is to provide .a resiliently urged friction means carried by the slide member for bearing against the cam shaft topermit "sliding but prevent the slide from moving too easily in the channel guide.

A further object is to so construct the slide member and the cam shaft that a turnof the latter, in either direction from normal neutral position where the spring friction means bears against the shaft, causes the cam to positively engage the slide to positively lock it in its longitudinally adjusted position.

A further object is to so construct the gauge that the slide carrying the movable post is at all times held firmly against inadvertent movement out of a true longitudinal plane inzthe channel guide throughout the full length of adjustment of the gauge by means of cooperating guide elements of the slide and guide and those of the slide and shaft.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention resides in the combination of parts, and in the details of construction, hereinafter set forth in the following specification and ap pended claims, certain embodiments'thereof being illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the gauge comprising my invention, showing the movable post adjusted to be spaced from the; stationary post;

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation of thesame;

Figure 3 is a view in longitudinal section of the same, showing one adjustment of-the movable post in full lines and another in .dottedlines;

thereby leaving the latter free to .slide;

Figure 5 is a similar view, but withthe cam shaft rotated .into locking engagement ,with the slide;

Figure 6 is a view in section taken along line 3-4; of Figure 1, showing the removable locking means for rotatablysupporting the cam shaft :in the channel guide; :and

Figure '7 is a view in section taken along line -'l1 of Figure 5, showing the friction means carried by the slide including a spring pressed plunger bearing against the cam shaft.

Referring moreparticularly to the drawings, the gauge comprises a main .body 1 that :carries near its one end a stationary post 2 The upper portion of the body is channeled to snugly, but slidably, :receive the dovetailed portion '3 of a slide member 4. that extends above theupper surface of the .body. The body is also provided with a longitudinal channel 5 of lesser dimensions below its dovetailed portion to receive a longitudinally extending rotatable cam shaft 6. In addition, the slide 4 carries a plunger! that is urged downwardly by a'compression coil spring 8 into constant engagement with cam shaft 6. The slide 4 carries a post 9. that comprises the movable post of the-gauge'assembly.

The cam shaft is provided with a circumferential groove H) to receive the upper tip ll of a set screw l2 removably secured in the lower wall of the body. This arrangement permits rotation of the shaft but prevents longitudinal removal or displacement. A dovetailed member I3 is removably fitted in the dovetailed channel in the body to act as an end bearing. member for the shaft. Also removably secured to the ads jacent end of the shaft, by means of a set screw I 4, is a knurled knob 15 for manual rotation of the shaft in either .direction. As an added refinement, the slide l may have releasably secured thereto ahand piece I6 provided with prongs l1 and I8 to resiliently and frictionally engage the sides of the slide and overlapping the sides of the base so as to. make it more convenient to manually move theslide and its post 9 into the desired adjusted position along the body channel guide.

With the gauge assembly thus assembled, the operator moves the slidable post 9 into the desired position for taking the required measurement. This movement is slightly resiliently frictionally resisted by the pressure-of plunger! on the cam shaft 6. Thismovementispermitted when the cam shaft 6 is in the unlocked position of Figure 4, wherein the cam shaft is out of engagement with the lower surface of slide 4. Figure 4 shows the relatively flat, or radius, surface 6A of the cam shaft, between cam surfaces 6B and 6C, vertically spaced from the lower surface of slide 4. With the post 9 in properly adjusted position, a manual rotation of knob 15, and consequently the shaft, causes the slide 4 to be locked in such adjusted position. It will be noted that in the unlocked position of Figure 4 the dovetail fit of member 3 of slide 4 is slightly loose and in a down position in the base channel. However, when the cam shaft is rotated counterclockwise, as viewed in Figure 5, the cam portion 6C engages the lower surface of slide 4 to force its dovetail portion 3 upwardly into frictional locked position in the dovetail channel guide against longitudinal displacement. It following that upon a rotation of the shaft in the opposite direction brings the slide 4 into the unlocked position of Figure 4 and that a further rotation of the shaft causes cam 63 to lock the slide in the same manner as cam BC locks it in Figure 5.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a simple easily assembled and disassembled sliding post caliper capable of a wide range of adjustment without variance in the overall length of the gauge between the stationary post 2 andthe manual knob l5. This provides for a handy gauge that is useable in close quarters for a wide variety of measurements of inside or outside diameters, widths of slots and the like. The movable post supporting slide and its dovetail engagement with the main channel guide, in addition to the engagement of the spring plunger with the cam shaft, makes for an efficient slide that prevents relative movement in any but the desired longitudinal plane and permits easy manual adjustment while insuring against inadvertent longitudinal movement. The manual adjustment of the slide is effected by the convenient hand piece l6 on the slide itself. The cam shaft is supported rotatably by bearing member [3 at its one end and by spring plunger 1 towards its other end. A mere turning of the shaft in either direction causes the cam of the shaft to engage the slide to bodily force its upwardly into locked engagement in the body channel guide against longitudinal movement.

I claim:

1. A gauge including a longitudinal base, a stationary post rigid with said base and a movable post carried by said base, said base having a longitudinal channel including an upper dovetailed portion and a reduced symmetrical portion therebeneath, said movable post being rigidly carried by a slide member that has a lower dovetailed portion that fits with limited vertical clearance in the upper dovetailed portion of said channel for slidable movement longitudinally therein, a shaft removably secured for rotation in the lower portion of said channel below said slide and a manual knob for rotating said shaft in either direction, a plunger and a spring therefor carried by said slide for constant resilient frictional engagement with said shaft to constitute a bearing for the latter and a resilient frictional locking means against loose sliding of said slide in its channel, a bearing member in said dovetail channel adjacent said knob for said shaft, said shaft having a circumferential portion extending throughout its length of a'relatively greater radius that remains out of engagement with the lower surface of said slide to leave the latter free to be manually moved 1ongitudinally in said channel, the remaining portion of said shaft, on each side of said greater radius, being of lesser radius to constitute a cam that, upon manual rotation of said shaft in either direction, positively engages the lower surface of said slide to force th latter upwardly and lock it in said dovetail channel against longitudinal movement in said channel, releasable locking means for locking said shaft against longitudinal movement in said base and a removable win member secured to said slide member for slidably adjusting the latter in said base.

2. A gauge including a longitudinal base, a stationary post rigid with said base and a movable post carried by said base, said base having a longitudinal channel, said movable post being rigidly carried by a slide member that fits with limited vertical clearance in said channel for slidable movement longitudinally therein, a shaft removably secured for rotation in the lower portion of said channel below said slide, means for locking said shaft against longitudinal movement in said base, a manual knob for rotating said shaft in either direction, said shaft having a circumferential portion extending throughout its length that remains out of engagement with the lower surface of said slide to leave the latter free to be manually moved longitudinally in said channel, the remaining portion of said shaft, on each side of said portion, being formed to constitue a cam that, upon manual rotation of said shaft in either direction, positively engages the lower surface of said slide to force the latter upwardly and lock it in said channel against longitudinal movement in said channel.

3. A gauge including a longitudinal base, a stationary post rigid with said base and a movable post carried by said base, said base having a longitudinal channel including an upper tapered portion, said movable post being rigidly carried by a slide member thathas a lower tapered portion that fits with limited vertical clearance in the upper tapered portion of said channel for slidable movement longitudinally therein, a shaft removably secured for rotation in the lower portion of said channel below said slide and a manual knob for rotating said shaft in either direction, said shaft having a circumferential portion extending throughout its length that remains out of engagement with the lower surface of said slide to leave the latter free to be manually moved longitudinally in said channel, the remainin portion of said shaft, on each side of said portion, being formed to constitute a cam that, upon manual rotation of said shaft in either direction, positively engages the lower surface of said slide to force the latter upwardly and lock it in said channel against longitudinal movement in said channel.

4. A gauge including a longitudinal base, a stationary post rigid with said base and a movable post carried by said base, said base having a longitudinal channel including an upper tapered portion, said movable post being rigidly carried by a slide member that has a lower tapered portion that fits with limited vertical clearance in the upper dovetailed portion of said channel for slidable movement longitudinally therein, a shaft removably secured for rotation in the lower portion of said channel below said slide, means for locking said shaft against longitudinal movement in said base, a manual knob for rotating said shaft in either direction, said shaft having a circumferential portion extending throughout its length of a relatively greater radius that remains out of engagement with the lower surface of said slide to leave the latter free to be manually moved longitudinally in said channel, the remaining portion of said shaft, on each side of said portion, being formed to constitute a cam that, upon manual rotation of said shaft in either direction, positively engages the lower surface of said slide to force the latter upwardly and lock it in said tapered channel against longitudinal movement in said channel.

5. A gauge including a longitudinal base, a stationary post rigid with said base and a movable post carried by said base, said base having a longitudinal channel including an upper dovetailed portion, said movable post being rigidly carried by a slide member that has a lower dovetailed portion that fits with limited vertical clearance in the upper dovetailed portion of said channel for slidable movement longitudinally therein, a shaft removably secured for rotation in the lower portion of said channel below said slide and a manual knob for rotating said shaft in either direction, a bearing member in said dovetail channel adjacent said knob for said shaft, said shaft having a circumferential portion extending throughout its length of a relatively greater radius that remains out of engagement with the lower surface of said slide to leave the latter free to be manually moved longitudinally in said channel, the remaining portion of said shaft, on each side of said greater radius, being of lesser radiusto constitute a cam that, upon manual rotation of said shaft in either direction, positively engages the lower surface of said slide to force the latter upwardly and lock it in said dovetail channel against longitudinal movement in said channel.

6. A gauge including a longitudinal base, a stationary post rigid with said base and a movable post carried by said base, said base having a longitudinal channel including an upper dovetailed portion and a reduced symmetrical portion therebeneath, said movable post being rigidly carried by a slide member that has a lower dovetailed portion that fits with limited vertical clearance in the upper dovetailed portion of said channel for slidable movement longitudinally therein, a shaft removably secured for rotation in the lower portion of said channel below said slide, releasable means for locking said shaft against longitudinal movement in said base, a manual knob for rotating said shaft in either direction, a plunger and a spring therefor carried by said slide for constant resilient frictional engagement with said shaft to constitute a bearing for the latter and a resilient frictional locking means against loose sliding of said slide in its channel, said shaft having a circumferential portion extending throughout its length of a relatively greater radius that remains out of engagement with the lower surface of said slide to leave the latter free to be manually moved longitudinally in said channel, the remaining portion of said shaft, on each side of said greater radius, being of lesser radius to constitute a cam that, upon manual rotation of said shaft in either direction, positively engages the lower surface of said slide to force the latter upwardly and lock it in said dovetail channel against longitudinal movement in said channel.

7. A gauge including a longitudinal base, a stationary post rigid with said base and a movable post carried by said base, said base having a longitudinal channel including an upper dovetailed portion and a reduced symmetrical portion therebeneath, said movable post being rigidly carried by a slide member that has a lower dovetailed portion that fits with limited vertical clearance in the upper dovetailed portion of said channel for slidable movement longitudinally therein, a shaft removably secured for rotation in the lower portion of said channel below said slide, means for locking said shaft against longitudinal movement in said base, a manual knob for rotating said shaft in either direction, a plunger and a spring therefor carried by said slide for constant resilient frictional engagement with said shaft to constitute a bearing for the latter and a resilient frictional locking means against loose sliding of said slide in its channel, a bearing member in said dovetail channel adjacent said knob for said shaft, said shaft having a circumferential portion extending throughout its length of a relatively greater radius that remains out of engagement with the lower surface of said slide to leave the latter free to be manually moved longitudinally in said channel, the remaining portion of said shaft, on each side of said greater radius, being of lesser radius to constitute a cam that, upon manual rotation of said shaft, in either direction, positively engages the lower surface of said slide to force the latter upwardly and lock it in said dovetail channel against longitudinal movement in said channel.

JOHN J. SEME.

No references cited. 

